Author: MBONILE BURTON
AfricaPress-Tanzania: TANZANIA Amateur Volleyball Association (TAVA) has lauded the newly elected president of CAVB-African Volleyball Confederation (CAVB), Bouchra Hajij.
Hajij is the first woman to be elected to lead the continent’s supreme volleyball body.
The association’s secretary general, Alfred Selengia, told the ‘africa-press’ in Dar es Salaam yesterday that they have received her presidency with positive attitude and looking forward to cooperate well with the new leadership for the sport’s development.
Selengia said: “Every leader has visions and good intentions to deliver; we believe Hajij will come up with more good ideas and plans to continue with where the former team has reached.
“We congratulate all elected leaders too and we assure them maximum cooperation. We worked so closely with former team and they have done great job to our sport.”
According to Selengia, among the association’s successes in previous regime, include the participation of Tanzania in the Women U-20 volleyball African championship in Kenya in 2018, Youth African Games Algeria 2018, Women African Continental Cup U21 in Cairo where Tanzania qualified for the Volleyball World Cup.
Tanzania has also been given chances to host the Zonal Beach volleyball qualifiers and the second phase of beach volleyball Olympic qualifiers for men which will be held in Dar es Salaam in 2021.
Hajij has been elected as the 5th president of CAVB at the Congress held online from 24th-26th October 2020, to become the first female president of the continental body.
New boss, who also presides the Royal Moroccan Volleyball Federation, FIVB Executive vice president and CAVB Executive vice president and Board member, recorded 42 votes, with incumbent Amr Elwani gathering 12 Votes.
Due to travel restrictions brought by the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 Congress was held through virtual conference lasting over 24-hours attended by 54 CAVB delegates in 3-days, notably over 15-hours spent on day two before the new president was announced.
Hajij, now has until 2024 to transform Beach Volleyball and Volleyball (Indoor) in Africa before the next Elective Congress at federation that formed in 1972.
She became the first ever African woman to be elected as FIVB Board of Administration member in the FIVB Board elections in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2016.
Elwani served volleyball in Africa for 24-years including 19-years as president of the Confederation and FIVB Executive vice-president
CAVB vice presidents and their zones are Zone I: Adnan BAKBAK – Libya, Zone II: Rodrigues Antonio Carlos – Cape Verde, Zone III: Casimir Sawadogo- Burkina Faso, Zone IV: Dokony Adiker Idriss – Chad, Zone V: Waithaka Kioni – Kenya, Zone VI: Fredreck Ndlovu – Zimbabwe.
